Open CPN GPS problem...

V1701

V1701

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Hello all,
After starting up the GPS, which appears to be working as it should, I have the correct serial port and baud rates set up but keep getting the following error message when I open Open CPN:

"Could not open serial port (COM 3)"

Any suggestions as to what the problem might be? I've looked through the Open CPN help files and no clues there, I wonder if anyone else has experienced the same. PC is a new Samsung netbook running Windows 7 starter, I have the latest version of Open CPN, could it be a Windows 7 issue? Any help gratefully received...
Dave.
 
djbreeze said:
Hello all,
After starting up the GPS, which appears to be working as it should, I have the correct serial port and baud rates set up but keep getting the following error message when I open Open CPN:

"Could not open serial port (COM 3)"

Any suggestions as to what the problem might be? I've looked through the Open CPN help files and no clues there, I wonder if anyone else has experienced the same. PC is a new Samsung netbook running Windows 7 starter, I have the latest version of Open CPN, could it be a Windows 7 issue? Any help gratefully received...
Dave.
Click to expand...

Windows 7, its a horses arse. I use Seaclear but the problem you have is setting the correct port and possibly not having the driver installed. Windows 7 is 64 bit and your drivers are probably 32 bit only. If its not the driver then you have to find which is the actual usb port number you have connected to. If you were using XP you would;
Go to control panel - system - hardware - device manager - ports - com+lpt. Look for Prolific or whatever brand of kit your using and read off the actual port number, set your programme the same. With Windows 7 you have to burrow down to the same place, somehow, and read off the actual port number. Windows 7 is not easy to use.
This may help www.ftdichip.com.
 
djbreeze said:
Hello all,
After starting up the GPS, which appears to be working as it should, I have the correct serial port and baud rates set up but keep getting the following error message when I open Open CPN:

"Could not open serial port (COM 3)"
Click to expand...
How are you starting the GPS? If you start it with say, GPSInfo and leave it running then Open CPN won't be able to use the GPS because it is in use by another program. Once you have assured yourself that it works, you need to stop it again and allow CPN to start it.

BTW, I'm assuming that the GPS is a dongle - if not, then ignore all of the above.

Ash
 
fishermantwo said:
Windows 7, its a horses arse. I use Seaclear but the problem you have is setting the correct port and possibly not having the driver installed. Windows 7 is 64 bit and your drivers are probably 32 bit only. If its not the driver then you have to find which is the actual usb port number you have connected to. If you were using XP you would;
Go to control panel - system - hardware - device manager - ports - com+lpt. Look for Prolific or whatever brand of kit your using and read off the actual port number, set your programme the same. With Windows 7 you have to burrow down to the same place, somehow, and read off the actual port number. Windows 7 is not easy to use.
This may help www.ftdichip.com.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, I have installed the driver and set the com port to what it should be (i.e. read off the actual port number as you describe) and set it to the same in Open CPN, and set the Baud rates to what they should be. I think as you say it might have to do with the actual usb port that I put the GPS dongle into, will have another try with it all tomorrow...
 
ashonavega said:
How are you starting the GPS? If you start it with say, GPSInfo and leave it running then Open CPN won't be able to use the GPS because it is in use by another program. Once you have assured yourself that it works, you need to stop it again and allow CPN to start it.

BTW, I'm assuming that the GPS is a dongle - if not, then ignore all of the above.

Ash
Click to expand...

Spot on, that's exactly what I was doing! Just put the GPS dongle in the USB, started Open CPN and it's working, just like that, brilliant!

Thankyou Ash...:)
 
Robin said:
Download this excellent free program Xport which will not only tell you which port the GPS is on but allow you to send the GPS data simultaneously to as many multiple ports (up to 128) as you wish and run several programs at the same time.

http://www.curioustech.net/xport.html
Click to expand...

That looks like it will be useful as well, thank you. What a place this forum is...:D
 
Robin said:
Download this excellent free program Xport which will not only tell you which port the GPS is on but allow you to send the GPS data simultaneously to as many multiple ports (up to 128) as you wish and run several programs at the same time.

http://www.curioustech.net/xport.html
Click to expand...

Having similar problems with Open CPN and GPS Info. Downloaded the xport application, hit the xport.exe file and got an immediate Trojan warning from my AVG anti-virus!
 
JayBee said:
Having similar problems with Open CPN and GPS Info. Downloaded the xport application, hit the xport.exe file and got an immediate Trojan warning from my AVG anti-virus!
Click to expand...

What's your set-up & the problem JayBee? I'm sure between us we can help sort it out. If my experience is anything to go by turned out straight forward, I had everything set up as it should be but didn't quite understand how the different parts interact with each other...
 
djbreeze said:
What's your set-up & the problem JayBee? I'm sure between us we can help sort it out. If my experience is anything to go by turned out straight forward, I had everything set up as it should be but didn't quite understand how the different parts interact with each other...
Click to expand...

Not much of a problem, just two applications trying to access the same port, as described by asonavega.

I have a GlobalSat BU-353 dongle with the GPS Info program trying to use the same port as Open CPN , so that I am unable to run both together.

In my version of Vista, there are no obvious ways of managing the ports as they don't appear in device manager - hence the resort to other virtual port software like Xport. AVG came up with the trojan warning when I tried to launch it.
 
Robin said:
I run Vista Business with openCPN and Xport no problems using Avast anti-virus, as do friends.
Click to expand...

Yes - but if your computer was infected by a trojan it is likely that you wouldn't know you had a problem.

I am no computer geek and need to resort to the sort of info to be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_horse_(computing).

Someone will probably warn against relying on wikipedia, but I would not ignore a virus alert from AVG.
 
Xport & AVG

There are different versions of AVG. There is the basic free anti-virus protection and the all-singing, all-dancing, paid for & licenced Internet Security. I have the latter and it was only after an upgrade to version 9.0.901 that Xport was flagged as containing a trojan, before that it seemed okay.
It could be a false positive, but why take the chance?
 
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